Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge - Stoke City

[Mousemat_FM]

View attachment 788746



THE SIR ALEX FERGUSON CHALLENGE

​

I've seen this challenge knocking about and wanted to try a long term save, so this seems like the ideal opportunity.

Will be deviating slightly from the rules (nothing major!)

I will be playing on FM Classic 15.3.0 Update to start

Leagues loaded - England (all) - Scotland (all) - Large Database

Manager Profile - Professional Footballer (National Level)

CHALLENGE RULES


​

1. Holiday until November 6th - CHECK
2. Take over the team 2nd bottom in the Premiership - CHECK - Stoke City
3. Stay at this one club - CHECK - will stay 27 seasons at Stoke
4. Aim to bring youth players through - to begin with I will mainly use young players in League Cup before blooding them into first team
5. Persuade long term players to become part of your backroom staff and/or managers. - Not too fussed about this one
6. ONLY A MAXIMUM OF 8 SIGNINGS PER SEASON TO A MAXIMUM VALUE OF £62 MILLION PER SEASON
7. WIN DOMESTIC CUP WITHIN 4 SEASONS
8. WIN A LEAGUE TITLE WITHIN 7 SEASONS
9. WIN A LEAGUE & CUP DOUBLE WITHIN 8 SEASONS
10. WIN A LEAGUE, CUP & EURO CUP TREBLE WITHIN 13 SEASONS

View attachment 293962​

Pretty much same rules in general - just tweaking the young players and staff rule - Am mainly interested in seeing whether I can dominate the league like Fergie did, first and foremost - if that's with the youth players then great (but not sure how easy this will be in classic mode)

not sure if anyone done this on classic mode before - don't know weather it will make it easier or harder

Will do updates in month/2 months chunks with brief pics and descriptions of the games

If you want to know any more stats etc or have any ideas - feel free to drop me a line

View attachment 293961​

First Update will be posted soon

 

[Mousemat_FM]

So first look into Stoke

View attachment 293873
View attachment 293872


SQUAD

GK

View attachment 293880

Begovic - Obvious 1st Choice.
Butland - 2nd Choice for now - but will be sold
Sorensen - Doing no harm will try keep him for another season
Kurasik - great stats - will be new back up
Bachmann, Eve & Gyollai - all to be released on free


DEFENCE

View attachment 293878

Obvious first choices in Shawcross, Wollscheid & Muniesa
Youth - Alex Grant is one ill be keeping an eye on
Huth will be recalled and given another chance


MIDFIELD

View attachment 293875

Massive pool of talent to choose from here - Adam, Arnatautovic, N'Zoni - obvious first choice
Youth - Eddy Lecygne - looks decent enough
Other than that - need to move a lot on and get some much needed funds into the club


STRIKER

View attachment 293874

Crouch - living legend is probably best of average bunch
Youth - Waring, Ngoy & Skapetis - will be watched closely


Overall - not strong but could have been a lot worse - Very confident of stopping up but cup within 4 seasons hmmm

 

[Mousemat_FM]

Transfers

View attachment 293871

The computer had already bought Gunter and sold Pieters

So far I just added Wilhelmsson and Trochowski (however Trochowski cant play till june2015! I didnt realise - but I guess its a bonus transfer for next season!)

 

[Mousemat_FM]

So when I first started this I wasn't sure weather I was going to do a story or not - so I raced ahead a bit - but then changed mind I decided to do story - so here is the first few months condensed up - From here on in will be broken down into month or 2 month chunks.

View attachment 293868

Very impressed at minute with form.

Next update will cover February & March

 

[SteVieBizzLe]

This is so awesome I'm going to do it myself.

 

[xJamieWilliams]

I will follow!

 

[Mousemat_FM]

UPDATES - will be at end of every season. Thought I would cover the season in depth in one long post give you all the main points of the season etc etc.

Hope you enjoy

 

[Cbarber871]

i would keep hold of Butland Good young english keeper but good luck any how

 

[Mousemat_FM]

i would keep hold of Butland Good young english keeper but good luck any how

Butland stats are okay but Kurasik is a lot better, and Money is going to be a real issue - until I can regularly finish in the high places of Premier


FINISHED FIRST SEASON - MASSIVE UPDATE TOMORROW

 

[Cbarber871]

orite...gd luck any how

 

[Mousemat_FM]

SEASON 1 (of hopefully 27

Sir Alex

In his first bit of a season, they finished 11th in the League and got to the 4th round of the FA Cup - Man U were already out of the league cup when he joined - Star Man - Paul McGrath - Transfers - NONE


over to me....

League

Cant really say much - will let the pictures tell the story - Superb runs of form - littered with odd defeat - N'Zoni, Bojan, Crouch and the on loan Wilson were the stars of the show - Very confident of title within the time limit

View attachment 292953


View attachment 292952

View attachment 292951

So first season very happy with league wise - Couldn't have gone better really - Qualified for the Europe Leagues so that will help money wise - cause Stoke Finances arn't the best



FA Cup


View attachment 292950

Gutted about this so close to getting my first cup within first season - just couldn't quite do it. Still got another 3 seasons to go though, so confident of success


TRANSFERS
View attachment 292949

Transfers, got bit excited when I saw Willhelmsson for free, but he is not like the old days

James Wilson great addition, Eric Dier - POOR

Piotr Trochowski - poor decision, game has unavailable (i now know this is due to ongoing court case with Sevilla) - So am stuck with his 20k per week wages until 2017!!!



On the whole decent start I think

Let me know any comments or thoughts you have





(ps any help greatly received on displaying pictures better in my posts! thanks

 

[Mousemat_FM]

SEASON 2 (of hopefully 27 - Transfers / Europa

So onto Season 2

Sir Alex

Star Man - Bryan Robson

Transfers
Viv Anderson, Brian McClair, Steve Bruce, Jim Leighton, Lee Sharpe & Mark Hughes




over to me....


Transfers

View attachment 292947

Out wise

Shawcross was moaning so much to go to Liverpool - I gave in and replaced him with Balanta (8 mill up front / 8 over 30 months)

Begovic - come back to in a bit



So I said the rules were 8 transfers per season

So I renewed the loan of James Wilson again (for some reason this doesn't show)

And the other 7 I wanted to get in at the start so I could get the team together and settled for the whole season

Wollschield - good player - so a bargain at 2.8mill to make the loan permament

Balanta - Speaks for himself

Richards - mainly play away from home as RB (home i use 3 CB's) - so hopefully he wont get unsettled with lack of games

Afellay - Great addition to left hand side of midfield - wages not stupid crazy either

Kakuta - back to Afellay - wages next to nothing 6k per week

Zucullini - Brought him on loan(future fee £5mill) to play DM solidly for one/two seasons - then sell on for massive profit

Winston Reid - Cant believe he was a free - Solid CB - Fit in well with Muniesa & Balanta

So thats' the 8 transfers all done and dusted - Come on season 2!!


What do you think of my transfers would you have done things different??
.
.
.
.
.
oh wait

Begovic - AS Monaco 11.75m - release fee Champions league team!!!! what!!!!!

Offered a new contract 100k per week.............failed

So because I am at the 8 transfers stumped - cant do anything

So for this season have to rely on Daniel Bachmann and Dominic Kurasik - to be fair not the worst keepers but I could have been in a better position


SEASON 2 UPDATE TO COME SOON


HOPE YOUR ENJOYING

 

[Mousemat_FM]

RESERVED - TACTICS COMING SOON